Home > Wisconsin town set to issue citations to bullies and their parents

Wisconsin town set to issue citations to bullies and their parents

By rguillot

Created 06/08/2013 - 9:00am

POSTED: Saturday, June 8, 2013 - 9:00am

UPDATED: Saturday, June 8, 2013 - 9:04am

NBC NATIONAL NEWS — A new Monona, Wisconsin law suggests one root of the bullying problem is parents.

They could be slapped with a $114 ticket if their child is bullying another.

"I feel bad for the parents who will get ticketed," said Monona parent Kristin Attaway, "but I think at the same time if that's the only way to stop it that's the only way to do it."

"When they're little, they have none of those prejudges or preconceived notions that someone's weird or different than them. It's definitely taught in the home," said Barbara Aguilera.

But it's not just parents who are blamed. The bully can be cited as well, anyone as young as 12-years-old.

"You could have a teen bullying someone and they could be subject to prosecution too," said Monona Police Chief Walter Ostrenga. "There's no age limit on this. This could be adults bullying other adults too," said Ostrenga.

Policies against harassment and disorderly conduct were already in place, but this new ordinance also includes bullying through the phone and online.